Couples consider taking a break as a way to put a pause on the relationship for a brief period without permanently ending it. Most people look to this as a solution, a way to cool off and get some perspective when they’re currently having trouble in the relationship. If you’re considering taking a relationship break, here are the pros and cons to keep in mind.
Pros of taking a relationship break
Reassess priorities
Being in a relationship, especially a long-term one leads to a mixing of priorities and goals with your partner. Taking a relationship break gives you room to think about your goals, ambitions, and interests without pressure from your partner and the relationship. Do you still want the same thing? Is the relationship still a priority for you?
Time to yourself
Being in a relationship requires sacrificing a lot and can feel stifling and claustrophobic. Taking a relationship break allows you to spend time by yourself. It gives you space to find yourself and know yourself outside the relationship and its pressures.
Time to calm down
Making decisions in the heat of the moment or in the heat of an argument often leads to making wrong decisions. Taking a relationship break allows you to think about and assess the relationship while you’re calmer, saving you from rash decisions that could lead to regrets. Time apart can also give you much-needed clarity to make a well-thought-out decision.
Stronger relationship
There’s a way to structure and plan out a relationship break so that you end up a stronger couple than before. Almost losing what you have could reinforce how important the relationship is and bolster your commitment to making it work. It could even rekindle the spark, reminding you why you love your partner and want them in your life.
See what’s out there
Taking a relationship break, depending on the rules you’ve set in place, may give you an opportunity to consider what else is out there. The problem is your partner will be doing the same which increases the likelihood of cheating and the break ending in a break-up. Remember how it played out for Ross and Rachel on Friends?
Cons of taking a relationship break
Decreased intimacy
If you’re having problems in the relationship, decreasing your intimacy is hardly the way to fix it. A relationship break only introduces distance and decreases intimacy which could complicate resolving the issue at hand.
Could lead to a break-up
It may begin as a temporary break but end up as an actual break-up. You or your partner may realize that you no longer want the same things or want to be in the relationship. There’s a high risk of cheating which could contribute to the relationship ending. Many people view a relationship break as a breakup that the couple is not willing to commit to but it’s a break-up nonetheless. There’s a prevailing view that taking a break is not something that happens in real-life relationships, that it’s something that only works in Hollywood films. In real life, taking a break leads to a break-up.
Not a solution
If there’s a problem in the relationship, you should deal with it, and taking a relationship break is often a way of running away from addressing the elephant in the room. Plus, there’s no telling what the outcome of a break will be, so if you truly care about saving the relationship, the solution is addressing the issue head-on, not gambling with the relationship.
Shows weakness in the relationship
Taking a relationship break reveals a fundamental problem in the relationship that is serious enough to necessitate separation. This isn’t something to gloss over.
As this girl realized it is not that easy to get back after a break.
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